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"He's a terrorist; he operates as a terrorist," said the British actor. "He has extraordinary physical powers, but also mental powers. He can sow an idea, which is as powerful as gunshots or close-hand combat, which he's masterful in. He tears into the fabric of both the world and the Enterprise family, and he leaves behind him a trail of devastation. It's quite exciting to watch."

"Giving away the full motivation would ruin it," he said, "but it's personal. It's also political, I think. He's somebody who, at some point in the film, you should feel a certain amount of empathy towards his cause, if not his means. ... There's no two-dimensional obstacle he presents purely and simply by the fact that he's opposing our hero."

"He has an interesting relationship with Kirk, and with Spock in a way," teased Cumberbatch. "He very much plays them off against each other. There's an element of shadow to him and Kirk."

Maybe. Mental powers could just mean great intellect. "He can sow an idea" could be metaphorical for a great power of persuasion, not the actual abililty to control another person's mind. Just sayin'. Of course, anyone who knows for sure ain't talkin'.

Edited to add: Beat me to the thought by one minute Santa Kang.

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Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect. -- Mark Twain

Not in the least, because Cumberbatch elaborates to indicate that he's not talking about literal "powers" like mind control or telekinesis. Khan in "Space Seed" was clearly as accustomed to leading by persuasion and/or seduction of one kind or another as by intimidation or force.

In fact, Cumberbatch's description of the villain leaves some version of Khan as a possibility and rules Mitchell out.